Ursus H. Bear is a character who was featured in the Country Bear Jamboree attraction at the Disney Parks.
History
Background
Ursus H. Bear was the founder of Grizzly Hall. He lived during the years from 1848 to 1928 and founded Grizzly Hall throughout his lifetime after a restful hibernation and rounded up a group of musicians to entertain guests throughout the show[1]. However, years later, the main stage of Grizzly Hall features a plaque decorated in a Victorian style portrait, dedicated to Ursus' legacy decorated with two golden angels (represented as bears to match the attraction's theme) on it.
Appearances
Country Bear Jamboree
The Country Bear Jamboree attraction first opened in 1971 at the Magic Kingdom at Frontierland where a plaque dedicated to Ursus' legacy was displayed on the main stage throughout the show. Due to the success of the attraction at Florida, the Country Bear Jamboree attraction was later constructed at Disneyland at Bear Country (now Critter Country as of 1992) and Tokyo Disneyland at Westernland, still featuring the main stage with the plaque dedicating to Ursus H. Bear.
Ursus H. Bear's Wilderness Outpost
Ursus' name became the subject for use in the former Ursus H. Bear's Wilderness Outpost Shop in Bear Country located at Disneyland to which not only the Country Bear Playhouse attraction dedicated Ursus' legacy but also the Wilderness Outpost containing his namesake to pay tribute to the founder of Grizzly Hall. The shop opened at 1972 at Disneyland and later became Crocodile Mercantile in 1988, which later closed in 1995 to become Pooh Corner.
Trivia
- Ursus' first name is Latin for "bear", which quite fits his name.
- Ursus H. Bear is one of the two bears that were not featured as performers in the Country Bear Jamboree attraction. The other one is Rufus, another bear whose voice is only heard during the summer, Christmas, and Disney music overlays where only his loud footsteps and heavy breathing are heard when he climbs the stairs to fix something that has gone wrong throughout the overlays.
- In the Country Bear Musical Jamboree, however, Rufus speaks his first word, "sorry."
- Ursus' plaque has been sporadically featured in the attraction poster for the original Country Bear Jamboree overlay featured in Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
References
